A Pittsburg-based media company led by William Wachter has agreed to buy a Joplin, Mo.-area AM/FM combination and an FM translator for $225,000, expanding its footprint across the four-state region.
One Media, headed by Wachter, is acquiring sports-formatted 1560 WMBH and its 101.3 K268CP translator in Joplin, along with 101.7 KHST in nearby Lamar, Mo., from Michael Landis’ Land Go Radio Group LLC. The stations are marketed as “SoMo Sports Radio.”
The deal, reported in industry filings this week, would give Wachter’s company a stronger presence in the Joplin-Pittsburg market. WMBH is a historic Joplin AM signal; the FM translator provides a modern on-FM presence that industry observers often describe as a “revitalization” tool for AM stations facing reception challenges in cars and buildings.
KHST adds a separate FM facility licensed to Lamar. Wachter has built a cluster of stations in Kansas and neighboring states through My Town Media and One Media, including properties in Pittsburg, Chanute, Emporia, and other markets.
Landis previously owned sports stations on both sides of the Kansas-Missouri line and has bought and sold properties in the same region in recent years. The transaction still requires FCC approval and closing. No format changes have been announced.